Chosen By Dawn
by bunnisangel
Summary: The Nexus had awakened once again, and in a few months time, it will choose five Guardians of absolute power. Each hero has their own reason to seek the power, but there can only be five. As the heroes change in their journeys, they'll barely be recognizable when they have finished their tale.
1. Prologue

**1095 DAYS, 2 HOURS, 12 MINUTES, 21 SECONDS**

The world is dying.

The people are suffering.

Rafaela could see it.

More families crowded her temple, illnesses getting more serious and fatal. The other day, a mother came to Rafaela's shrine, crying. Her son was dying, no medicine she had could save him. On two white steads, they rode back to her humble hut in the borders of the Twisted Trees.

It was a dark hut. Rafaela scanned the surroundings. The musky scent of clay cottoned her, and within that, a whip of stench.

As quickly as the smell hit her, pots crashed down. She cracked to one of the room openings. There was no door in this small hut. Just a rectangle that emitted light.

She looked back at the woman for an explanation, but the fear proved her no condition to speak. Rafaela gestured her to stay back while she crept towards the opening. She peeked into the room, only to make immediate eye contact with a boy. Pale skin and tired expression. And... a shadow lighter than it should be.

While the angel was trying to grasp the situation, he lunged at her. The inhuman speed caught her off guard and she merely managed to caught his hanging mouth with the pole of her staff. It gnawed on the pearly whites of her staff, making it drip with drool.

Her wings pricked up and stretched into the sky as an emerald aura surrounded her. The burst of strength was enough for her to yank her staff out of the boy's mouth and send him crashing out of the room. He rolled into one of the table legs with a force strong enough to break it into two.

"Albert!" Rafaela heard a cry.

The woman ran towards her son, arms open. Rafaela leaped to hold her back, but it was recovering slowly, and she lacked the strength.

"Wait!" She said into the mother's ear, "He hasn't been cleansed yet!"

"No! We need to help him! Now!"

"You need to wait! I-"

"NO!" With a large rush of strength, the woman broke free from the angel's grip.

She watched as the mother run right into the boy's gaping mouth. It ripped her flesh and gobbled it hungrily. The last look the mother shared with her was one of shock and disbelief, before her eyes turned dead.

Rafaela watched the whole scene unfold before her. Her feet were rooted and her teeth clenched in a fixed position. The boy consumed much of his mother until she was a bloodied mess, until finally, it turned on her.

But this time, Rafaela was ready. She sent a blinding light that made its screech, stopping its advancements. Then pointing herself and her staff to the sky, she brought a spark down from the heavens onto the monster. Whatever remaining plumpness left in its grey meat was sucked out with a blooding curdling scream.

The angel stood in the dark hut. A splatter of blood and a pile of bones questioned her. She wished for the world to disappear. Maybe it was just a dream and she would wake up, ready to lead the humans into battle against the Dark Lord, again, for another day. But no. She didn't. This was a world after the war. A reality where the Angel of Healing didn't know her place anymore.

It was all she could think of as her white mares galloped her back. They had been pegasi once. But they lost their wings.

If only she could've moved. If only she could heal anything. The son would grow up to be healthy and the mother would live a long life in the warm care of her son. But she snipped their life short and transformed them into unwanted decoration.

Then she started thinking, what happened? Her healing had no effect on him. The memory of his shadow crashed into her. That was no ordinary illness. It was... a curse... buried deep inside the scrolls of the God of Light's memories. Rafaela had only saw it a few times, before the two gods had disappeared.

The plague that hit the land an eon ago had reappeared again. It was-

"My Lady!" A nun rushed to greet her. Her face was painted with desperation, "My Lady, there have been so many patients in your absence! We don't know what illness they speak off! They describe it as-"

"Try as hard as you can. Send out eagles for help if must. I'm sure the Moon Elves have some cure that would at least numb the pain. Open the Heavenly Gates."

She nodded. The nuns parted the sea of sickly people. Rafaela looked at the floor and tried to drown out the pleas with her own thoughts. The desperate screams faded into the distance as she arrived to the deepest part of the temple, a dome where few are allowed to step foot into.

Right in the middle of the circular space was a hole, surrounded by intricate markings and writing. Rafaela fitted the bottom of her staff into the hole, which started a flow of light that seeped into the markings. Blinding white engulfed her until she was in a place not of the mortal realm anymore.

Tall, white, polished buildings and waves of clouds surrounded her. Her wings could finally take shape here. Puffs of clouds purred as her feathers ran its hands through it.

"Argus!" She yelled to an angel, armoured in white.

He turned away from the crystal ball that served an eye into the mortal world.

She let Argus take her hands as she caught her breath, "Vexana. She has... somehow found a way to reach the villages. Our villages! They are so near us-I cannot fathom how she reached them!"

Argus didn't say anything.

Rafaela looked at him, surprised by his lack of response, "We need to help them!"

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

Shocked as she was, she didn't reply.

"Rafaela," Argus said, returning to the crystal ball. The fog dissipated, revealing a red crystal. It was large. Bits of gold surrounded it, propelling in the air. The base was a hexagon, which emitted red light.

"The Nexus," Rafaela whispered, recognising it.

He nodded, "It has awakened once again. And in a few months times, it will be choosing its new batch of Guardians."

She flicked her eyes up. She knew exactly what he was suggesting, "It grants absolute power. A lot of people will be trying to get to it.

"The journey to the center of the Land of Dawn will be dangerous, but that's the only way we can defeat Vexana. And likely... Alice."

"Alice?" Rafaela gasped, "But she was sealed thousands of years ago! By the humans! With our help!"

"The seal is weakening. Alice is preparing. Deep down in the Abyss, her army awakens and is raving for their queen," He slid a palm across the crystal, which then cleared to show the prison that held the Queen of the Blood Demons.

The bright orange light of the stars was fading. The Molten Essence that floated weary barely had the strength to reach at the bars of the cell. Rafaela squinted, leaning closer into the crystal.

A face emerged. Its grin was of malice.

Alice.

She looked directly at the angel with all the malevolence. Her spite was of glee.

Rafaela withdrew. The fog swirled around Alice's smile and whisked into its original grey. She turned away from it, shaken by what she saw, "She looked directly at me. She has gained enough strength to sense the All-Seeing Crystal."

Argus took her crossed arms in, drawing the lines of her blonde hair.

"I'm going to the Nexus." She said, with more confidence than she actually had.

"Then I'll go with you. The Angel of Healing won't survive in this cruel world alone."

Rafaela smiled as he imprinted her forehead with his lips.

That day, the two angels made a descent to the Land of Dawn, seeking the Nexus.

❗｜ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ｜❗

Current Argus is his reskin, before his fall.

🐰｜ғʀᴏᴍ ʙᴜɴɴʏ｜🐰

Please leave a comment if you liked it! It really does encourage me to write more, whether it'd be a word or an essay.


	2. Hanabi

**2591 DAYS, 19 HOURS, 7 MINUTES, 11 SECONDS**

The kunai hit the center of the target with a satisfying 'thud'. The other kids sending in a semi-circle around the court cheered. Hanabi pretended she didn't care, yet she posed, with one hand on her hip and her head held high.

"Your daughter is simply amazing, your highness! Her aim is better than most of the teenage groups! And she's only five!" The teacher praised.

Hanabi's mother, who was overlooking the lesson. She gave a tiny nod, to which Hanabi just rolled her eyes.

"I need more of a challenge, mother!" She said at dinner, "I'm prepared to take on any of those stupid demons! I can hunt down the Shadow that killed father!"

The room suddenly became silent. Hanabi dared to take a peek at her mother's expression. Her mother looked at her food, unmoving but Hanabi knew the death of her husband had ruined her. It was less than a year ago when the Rogue Shadow had killed him. Hanabi could still vividly remember the sobs when her mother thought she was sleeping.

She knew she had to apologize, but her word about taking on stronger foes was firm. She left the room in a huff and put on her footwear. A row of kunais and shurikens was prepared by the maids, outside the house, as they always had been. She took them in her hands and climbed up onto the roof of the house with dextrous movements and acrobatics.

She had ordered the maids to set up poles on top of the houses. They were etched with the wounds of her shuriken and kunai points. Her mother had told her not to practice on the roofs of others', but the training area was used by the peasants. On some nights, there would even be sweaty, middle-aged men practicing.

Royalty obviously shouldn't be mixed with the lower classes, Hanabi had always protested. If she didn't demolish her father's dojo, this wouldn't be the case.

She had no idea why her mother thought stopping her from becoming a ninja was a good idea. Her interest was sparked when her father first let her hold a kunai when she was three. Her mother panicked, but Hanabi never harmed herself.

If anything, training herself to be the strongest ninja would enable her to avoid the path her father took. It was weakness that caused his death. Not being a ninja.

Hanabi extended her hands, three shurikens in the gaps of her fingers. She spun, releasing them.

A quiet but satisfying swoosh filled the air as they flew. She heard each of them hit the poles in succession. She was supposed to hear six thuds, but she only heard five tonight.

Hanabi spun around to the target the sixth was supposed to hit. And there, a figure was standing. It had caught the last shuriken between its first and second finger. Hanabi could only tell from the moonlight reflected by the shiny shuriken, otherwise the figure was a shadow.

A threat, huh?

She narrowed her eyes and took out the kunai from her belt. She spun it, then held the handle with a backgrip and made a jerking action, "Come at me."

To her surprise, the figure snorted, "Are you trying to act cool or win a fight?" The figure was revealed to be male, based on his voice.

Hanabi was caught off guard, "What?"

"I saw you doing those dramatic actions of yours before throwing the shurikens. Were you trying to be some flower blooming or what?"

Her throat burned in embarrassment, "I was preparing myself!"

He scoffed in contempt. He held his first and middle finger up beneath his chin. Without warning, a shadow appeared in front of her.

While in the midst of processing what was happening, his real body filled the shadow. Hanabi had swung her kunai in an attempt to slit his throat, but the boy's hand caught hers and twisted it. Her struggle to get free promptly stopped when the cold touch of metal grazed her own throat.

The boy relaxed, and let go. Surprised by the release, she jumped backwards, but only slightly in an attempt to hide her surprise and retain some dignity. Whatever relaxation he showed was gone as quickly as he moved, and his guard was up once again. He disappeared then reappeared again, standing on the edge of the roof.

"You claim that it's preparation, yet the instant you have your back turned while you twirl like an idiot, you have no chance of counterattack. Maybe if you focused less on looking flashy, you'd be able to make it out without a hole in your chest."

The full moon was behind him, but Hanabi still couldn't see his face as it was covered by a matte black cloth.

He flickered. And disappeared.

**2591 DAYS, 9 HOURS, 19 MINUTES, 48 SECONDS**

That boy came every full moon. She had come to learn his name, Hayabusa. She had asked her mother if she knew anything about this stranger. All she knew was he was the heir to the head of the Shadow Clan, destined to kill the Rogue Shadow.

Finally, Hanabi had found a match for her age. That was the person that was going to avenge both their clans. He was strong, more than she wanted to admit, but she wasn't going to let some boy restore the dignity of her clan!

Her mother was strongly opposed to the idea of her becoming a ninja. The most she could give in was by letting her train with the common folk because apparently, "Hanabi was a lady, and she was supposed to marry off to a man".

Well, she was a princess. Who would she possibly marry that was worth taking her hand? Not any of the common folk, certainly. Though if she did tell her mother she had someone in mind instead of that, she would never be allowed to leave the house.

The few times the Scarlet and Shadow clans had meetings, they brought Hayabusa along. Without the moonlight casting a shadow over him, he was handsome. He had a sharp jaw and tousled black hair. The image stuck with her, and she hated that it did.

The two had exchanged glances in the meetings, and their interactions ended at that. He acted like he didn't know her at all. As if she, Hanabi, princess of the Scarlet Clan, were some insignificant peasant.

That greatly angered Hanabi. She was going to train hard, harder than she ever had before, so that Hayabusa would acknowledge her, and then they could roam the Land of Dawn in search of the Rogue Shadow. And they would do so together. The future was as clear as glass for her.

Until she shattered that glass.


	3. Miya

**990 DAYS, 8 HOURS, 47 MINUTES, 10 SECONDS**

Miya was an orphan. Her parents were supposedly foot soldiers killed in war, so like other unimportant orphans, she was sent to the watchtowers to be looked after. The watchtowers were the first line of defence to any incoming raids, though they haven't received on since the Great War.

When she grows up, she was told that she will become a sacrifice to the Moon God, a traditional and sacred ritual for the Moon Elves; an extreme honor.

So she works hard, training in the art of archery and reading all the books about the outside world, of lands beyond the elven city. She wished she could experience the wars between the Blood Demon Queen and the two heavenly angels, but the most she could was live it through ink painted words.

But she was a mere orphan. At the temple, she befriended another orphaned elf named Vileris. Unlike Miya, her parents abandoned her on the streets. Vileris was physically weak and sprouted brown hair, which was considered inferior to Miya's white. It created a great deal of problems for her. Since the orphans served no other purpose than guards, combat training was a big part of their daily routine. Outside it, she wasn't respected by her peers nor elders.

"Miya? You think maybe I should run away?" Vileris asked once, after a drill that finalised with cuts jagged onto her limbs.

The overseer didn't see to care about the injuries that had been caused. The girl Vileris has been fighting against was much stronger than her. She stood a good head above. Miya had tried to defend her by talking back to the overseer, but she strung naked, the most common method for misbehaving orphans.

"Don't say that," Miya took her hands, "We're still living a better life than most humans."

Vileris didn't reply. Miya had a feeling that she didn't believe her. Regardless, their friendship has remained strong. Miya was the only white-haired elf in the temple and the others hated her. The two developed a coping mechanism within each other.

Under the blanket of stars, the two of them lay one night. It was the one day where they were allowed to stay up longer.

"The Diamond Star is the true north, you know? And the Amethyst Star is true south. It never changes."

Miya didn't, "Someone's been reading."

Vileris giggled and pressed her face onto Miya's neck. That was the form the two gods manifested as after the war was over, chasing each other for eternity.

Then a spark caught Miya's eye. The magnet of curiosity pulled her body upwards. She squinted.

"Miya?" Vileris said quietly.

A row of moving figures was approaching them from the edge of the Emerald Woodlands.

"Miya?" She repeated, but this time with fear.

As they grew closer, she could hear the barbaric yells. She took a last long glance at the approaching line and grabbed Vileris's hand.

It just a few moments before the entire watchtower went into a complete state of panic and chaos. She couldn't believe this was happening. After so long, it had to be now. The stables at the back of the watchtower were hustling. Horses neighed as elves panickedly readied them. The orphans were allowed to ride first, back into the elven city gates.

Orphans were supposed to ride in threes, the front being the most capable in horse riding. When it was finally Miya's turn, the orcs were in the temple already. The young elves all brought along a weapon they were skilled at. Some swords and daggers, but most, a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

The overseer helped Miya onto the horse. She was in the middle. The front was a girl named Alarin, one of the most skilled dagger users in the temple, and Vileris, behind her. As their horse began to take strides, she saw the temple pillars gush out orcs. Elves tried to swing their shiny swords with grace, but the sheer number of brute swings melted them.

Other orcs swarmed and chased down the horses that haven't picked up speed. Horses and children whinnied in pain as their backs were broken into two by the orc clubs. Vileris was, too, looking back.

Miya caught aware of this and grabbed her hands. She managed a smile, but Vileris simply looked down in fear.

"All those horses... And the elves that didn't make it..." She said quietly. As she finished, the horse that was galloping alongside them fell from a black arrow. The three orphans screamed. The one in front locked eyes with Miya, as if begging for help.

She pulled away from the gaze, and back to Vileris who was on the verge of tears.

"It's going to be okay," Miya reassured, "We're going to-"

Before she could finish, Vileris' eyes widened, her back arched. The head of a black arrow peeked through, inching dangerously close to Miya's own torso. Her desperate eyes locked onto Miya as she started sliding off the horse. Miya reached to grab her hand. She could feel the course her horse change. The weight was affecting the horse's direction.

"Let go!" Alarin snapped without remorse, "Or we'll die too."

"No! We can save her!"

"We can't save a corpse. Enough with your shit. I'm not going to die because you had an emotional breakdown! This isn't the time!"

With much hesitation, she let Vileris slip. On the ground, the shocked expression was permanently sculpted into her face. Distracted by the sight, she hadn't noticed a second arrow, it can already lodged itself into their horse's hind legs.

The horse fell, and the two of them went down with it. Without skipping a beat, Alarin grabbed Miya's arm, "Run, you fool!"

The orcs were closing in. She hadn't realized but one had reached far enough to Vileris's corpse. It ripped her arm from her body and stuffed it into its mouth. Miya's footsteps slowed as she watched it devour her friend.

"What are you doing? You fucking imbecile!" Alarin screeched. The collectiveness had left her voice.

It had been hungrily biting off whatever it could off the girl, until it locked eyes with Miya. Like a magnet, it abandoned Vileris. Eyes locked on her, it straightened its body and started charging at her with full speed.

She was going to die.

Miya pulled an arrow from her back and nocked it. Without stopping, she twisted her body and aimed at the orc, who was far closer to her than she expected a heavy weight to be able to move. She hit it right in the stomach, but it paid no heed.

Her arrows had no effect. She let out a desperate cry as her ears pricked for the thunderous footsteps closing in.

_She was going to die._


	4. Hayabusa

**949**** DAYS, 20 HOURS, 2 MINUTES, 40 SECONDS**

She was on the other side of the koi pond, looking curiously at the fish swimming merrily in the clear water. On her shoulder was a folded blue umbrella.

Stretching out her legs, she somersaulted over the water with such fluidity towards his side of the stream. The air was marked with her pink afterimages which dissipated into the air after a second or so. Hayabusa swore it left a dust of cherry blossoms. She wore a short white kimono with a purple obi tied around her waist.

Hayabusa couldn't see her face clearly from where he was standing, but if he could have, she would look pretty.

A shame that she was the enemy.

He carefully reached for the short sword from his back. The girl froze. Hayabusa might have thought she heard him draw his sword, but then she went back to running a finger over the surface of the water.

With his signature hand sign, a shadow appeared a few meters away from him, and behind the girl. He felt that light feeling when he jumped from shadow to shadow.

He grabbed the girl by the back of her dress and pinned her underneath him, with his sword pressed on her forehead, "Who allowed you to enter my garden without my premission?"

The girl looked at him wide-eyed, then laughed, "Is this how the Shadow Clan greets all their visitors?"

"What...?"

Hayabusa looked at where he pointed his sword at. The girl with white hair had a silver headpiece, and in the center was the well-known Onmyoji symbol, one of the oriental clans.

He quickly got off the girl in embarrassment, "Kaguya-sama...! Forgive me! I-I thought you were an intruder!"

She laughed once again with a loose fist draped over her smile, "Kagura. It's alright. I haven't been in the Shadow Clan's village in a while. I don't expect you to recognize me. The last time I visited was... six years ago?"

He got her name wrong...? It would be trouble if his mother found out that he offended the princess of the Onmyoji Clan.

Kagura had hugged her knees and put a hand on her chin, "Haya-kun right?"

"Haya-kun...?" He repeated her words dumbly.

"Or are you not a fan of nicknames? Hayabusa-kun is a little long-winded though, isn't it?"

He nodded, not really knowing what else to do. She had pale skin and plump pink lips that surely tasted like peaches.

"Hayabusa? Oh! Kagura-sama!" His mother appeared from the entrance of the garden, "He didn't attempt to kill you did he? He's very overprotective of his garden! He doesn't even let me in sometimes!"

His face burned in embarrassment. She framed it like a joke, if not for the context of what just happened. He didn't dare to look at the princess's face, but he could imagine that she was laughing at him, even if she didn't express it outwardly.

"Oh, no. He greeted me very politely."

He looked up from the ground, surprised that she lied for him without a reason. The heirs of other clans were usually really snobby, from his experience.

"Oh, thank goodness! Show her around Hayabusa. And make sure you make it to the gathering on time."

His mother left them alone. He tailed behind Kagura as her curiosity leashed her around the garden. He was too embarrassed from the prior incident to talk. Even without the awkward first meeting, he might not have for the fear of accidentally offending her.

"Ah! Haya-kun?" She turned to look at him, interrupting his thoughts, "Are you really comfortable with this?"

"What?"

"Your mom said you didn't like it."

"Oh... No, it's fine!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, no! I don't mind! Really!" He was smiling like an idiot. Kagura didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't show, how dumb he was acting.

She smiled the smile of peaches and continue leading the way. Her waterfall, white hair shimmered under the sunlight and flowed behind her, as graceful as her figure. His euphoric state caused him to lose all passage of time. They would've missed the clan gathering if Kagura hadn't remembered.

All the heads of the oriental clans were already seated. They both took their places beside their fathers, the clan leaders. Clan meetings like these were usually boring. It was the same thing over and over again; Hayabusa would train in the arts of shadow manipulation and defeat him, blah blah blah.

He wondered what the purpose of these meetings was, considering they come with the same conclusion every time; a report on Hayabusa's life. He would just drift off to sleep, with his head nodding back and forth in an eternal limbo.

But this time was different. Not once, had he attended a meeting where they were graced by the presence of the white-haired clan.

Kagura directly opposite from him. She paid close attention to whatever the subject of the meeting was, and even adding her own thoughts. For some reason, Hayabusa wasn't surprised at her dedication.

How she widened her eyes and pruned her lips in curiosity was... cute.

_Would she like me more if I paid more attention to these sort of issues?_

For once, he would pay attention. _  
_

His father's familiar voice dulled on, "But his minions surround him. Even if we did manage to locate his body, there would surely be no way to break through the line."

_Say something, Hayabusa! Say something! Kagura has been doing this throughout the meeting! You can do it too!_

"Well, I... think," Hayabusa spoke up. Eyes all around the rectangular table drew to his voice, including Kagura's. Their met eyes triggered an encouraging smile from her.

"Yes. Um, so my uh, shadow technique... uses shadows. And, um, I think that if I use the shadow I ca-will manage to jump um, in between them. So I can... kill... the corpse. I mean, body. It will turn into a corpse," He hurriedly added. Maybe he should not have spoken up.

He stared down to the wood in front of him. He could feel Kagura's disappointed stare bore through him from in front. A few seats away from him, the Scarlet Clan's heir snorted mockingly. His face burned.

Leave it to add salt to the wound. He never understood why anyone would be intentionally cruel to another person.

"I agree with him."

Hayabusa lifted his eyes to Kagura.

"If he can use his shadow technique to jump over the Rogue Shadow's minions, there wouldn't be a need to combat. Hayabusa is training to be a ninja, and just like the Shadow Clan's ancestors have taught him, his main strength is assassination. It will be quick, it will be fast and there is no need for direct combat with anyone else."

After a few seconds, the table erupted in a mutter. Hayabusa's father nodded, "Yes, you bring up a good point, son. That would be the most effective strategy as of now. Playing to your strengths is always the best choice."

Hayabusa swelled at the praise. Other officials around the table, too, nodded with approval. His eyes caught Kagura's once again. He mouthed a 'thanks' and her peach smile was even prettier this time.

After the gathering, the Shadow Clan had provided all the other oriental clans with a feast. That was usually the other good thing about these gatherings. Despite being loyalty, they believed in humbleness, so he never got to eat lavish food apart from special occasions.

Kagura was alone, in front of a table. She picked up a mochi curiously. With a cute caution, she nibbled on it. Hayabusa's chest fluttered with the thought of talking to her again. And he had a reason to.

"Hayabusa!"

A girl with a high ponytail blocked his way. She had a hand on her hips and her usual grumpy expression.

"Oh, hey," He said with a lack of interest and looked away, hoping she would leave him alone.

She grunted and rolled her eyes, "You paid attention in this meeting. Did your parents make you do it or something?"

He shrugged. Her face lit up as she found she had taken a liking to the filling and put the whole snack in her mouth.

"Well whatever, I don't care. After this, go to the courtyard. I want to train."

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Stuff."

He slipped past her before she could reply.

"Kagura-sama," Hayabusa said casually, "Is the food good?"

She nodded and pointed awkwardly to her full mouth. He gave a polite chuckle.

"Yeah! Your cooks did a great job! Please extend my thanks to them!" She said after she swallowed.

"Will do! You want one?" He offered one of the dango sticks.

"Oh, no. I can't eat overly sweet things. I'm taking care to keep a nice body."

"Oh my god, Kagura!" Hanabi interrupted and pushed herself in between them, "Just exercise. Like, I train a lot, so I can eat a hundred dangos a day and still have a fit body!"

Hayabusa cringed. But what annoyed him even more was the thought that Kagura was feeling uncomfortable. Only because she is an honoured guest, obviously.

Kagura's smile flattered, but she quickly regained that air of pleasantness, "Yes, you're right! Thank you."

Silence followed, that Hayabusa was uncomfortable with. It didn't seem like Hanabi came here to say anything else. He rushed to fill up that vacuum.

"So... Kagura-sama, are you going to do anything afterwards or..." He asked with the hopes of being able to spend time with her. Alone.

"Hm, I don't think so. I'll be spending the night here, in this _beautiful_ village, so I think I have time."

"That's great! Um... if you want... we can spend some time in my garden? I, uh-grow... peach trees," He didn't have time to cringe as Kagura nodded with delight without skipping a beat.

His heart skipped with the prospect of spending a night in the gardens with her, under the full moon. Hayabusa didn't care for romantic literature, or literature at all, but walking with a pretty girl under the full moon was... exciting.

"Hold on! Like _your_ garden?" Hanabi asked, surprised.

Hayabusa raised his eyebrow at the girl's question, "Yes?"

"But... You don't let _anyone_ go into your garden!"

He didn't know how to reply to that, so he just shrugged.

"Today is a full moon!"

"I know."

"But- You always-" Her distressed expression was frozen as she stopped her rant, then straightened herself, "Well, whatever. I don't care."

She walked off with a huff. The way she acted had always been a mystery to Hayabusa. He never knew what she was thinking, or why.

But now wasn't the time to ponder about that. He had to reap his efforts.


	5. Spark

**1080 DAYS, 16 HOURS, 29 MINUTES, 56 SECONDS**

It had been two weeks since the two Angels of Light left the Moniyan Empire, under Rafaela's cloaking hoods. It didn't make them invisible, but it does cause eyes and mind numb to their presence.

Their path was the forest near the Moniyan Empire, before the mountains that acted as a border between the Empire and Norst Gal. As they moved under the yellowish-green canopy, Argus' ears perked to thumping sounds from a distance. He held Rafaela's arm, stopping her in her tracks. She looked up at him, questioning.

His only reply was silence and a look to the direction of the thumping sound. Rafaela furrowed her brows, before she, herself heard it. Argus unsheathed his sword and stepped in front of Rafaela protectively.

"Argus, if you reveal your powers, the cloaking spell will fail. The Blood Demon Queen will immediately know our location," Rafaela whispered.

His eyes were locked in prediction at the branches perched at the upper sections of the tree. But the figure that he saw first was a girl in pink, running with an agility that he hadn't expected from something as innocent looking as it.

He pointed his white blade at her. She stopped in her tracks. Fear rested upon her odd looking face. Her eyes were too big and her skin reflected too much light.

It was a robot.

"Please! You have to help me! I'm being chased!" It said. Though its voice did sound like a human girl, there was a static that stopped it from ringing clear.

Argus saw Rafaela run towards it in his peripheral vision. He only managed to mutter the first syllable of her name when her hands clasped upon the robot's waist like a worried parent.

She was too easy to be played with.

Put a crying child in front of her and she will lose an arm and a leg to find its mother. He was about to speak his thoughts when a second figure emerged from the trees. It left a trail of bent tree branches as it lunged itself from branch to branch.

But unlike the innocent looks the girl had, it was the size of a grown man. Its entire body was plated with shiny metal. Thick snake-like tubes emerged from the back of his head. Its face from nose and up was covered by an angular mask and the lower seemed to be human. The line at which his eyes were placed shined blue with light. He held a spear in his hand.

This was the first time in decades Argus had seen such high technological advances. The path of the City of Scholars and the Moniyan Empire did not cross much.

As he was about to ask for an explanation, the larger robot pierced the ground beside him, where Rafaela had been a second ago. She stepped backwards and pushed the robot girl behind her. Her fierce face contradicted her withdrawal.

Before the cyborg could charge towards them, Argus intercepted its course of motion with the hilt of his blade. The robot rolled back, then reset in a crouch.

"Argus, if you use too much, I cannot contain it," Rafaela warned.

What would she rather have? Us dead?

Argus charged at him. Moving first gives you the upper hand in a straight fight.

The cyborg dodged the first swing and met the second one. Argus maintained his fast, heavy blows and locked the cyborg down to a defensive state. Being the war half of the Lord of Light's angels gave him an unlimited pool of stamina.

As he forced the cyborg to parry more and more blows, its spear started glowing. Caught in an indecisive state, he allowed the cyborg to sweep an area in front of itself. Argus jumped to dodge the spear's swing, but it was all the opening that it needed to strike Argus in the chest. His blade cursed at the spear with an ear-piercing scream.

Without notice, the lines on the spear opened up and the plates bloomed the head into spikes. His blade was caught, and with a twist, his weapon clattered on the ground.

The cyborg raised his newly transformed weapon onto Argus. His reflex took over his stance and he raised his arms to block the blow like a coward. He felt his body shiver, but the impact never hit him. He peered his eyes open, only to find himself enclosed in a bubble of pink.

The cyborg was as surprised as he was. Argus turned around to Rafaela. The robot girl behind her was floating. Her eyes were closed, she puffed her chest up and the tips of her body were curved from a tight stretch. She brought her arms and legs into her body, and when she released, she had disappeared.

The bubble around him was now a darker, more evident shade of pink. He felt restless shimmers run through his streams. He was twitching from it. It felt like if he did not release that energy, it would collapse upon itself within his body.

He returned his eyes towards the opponent in front of him. He felt no need to use his sword. His very hands were itching with strength. His new found power allowed him to lunge twice as fast as he could ever have in the first place. The cyborg raised its spear to block his attack. Argus caught the pole. He felt he could crush it with a mere squeeze.

They locked eyes for a brief moment before Argus sent both it and its spear flying. The impact of his throw tore through the protective brown layer of the bark to reveal its vulnerable whites. He called out his powers from within his body. In his hand, a glowing, white chain answered. He heard Rafaela cry out his name.

Argus flung it to the cyborg. The head of the chain, a claw, hit the shadow of where the cyborg originally was and sunk into the tree bark. With a jerk, the chains pulled Argus to its anchor.

The cyborg looked back at him, running, then leaped up into the trees. Argus turned to follow him, when a hand gripped his cloak. The robot girl rolled out of his body. All the energy he felt disappeared along with her. Rafaela was looking at him with a worried expression.

Finally, the realization of what he had done hit him.


	6. Birth Right

**990 DAYS, 8 HOURS, 2 MINUTES, 19 SECONDS**

_votable chapter_

Her legs burnt, but her fear burnt hotter. A jumbled mess of thoughts shot and ricocheted acrossed Miya's head.

How painful was her death going to be? How long will it hurt because she finally passes? What if she still can feel the pain even after dying? Will she continue feeling pain a thousand years later as her body returns to the soil? Maybe that's what the trees-

Miya's mind went blank as she was picked up into the air. She had a thousand questions, and now she'll get her answer.

She closed her eyes, awaiting her death. A second goes by. Then another. Then another. Then another.

Phosphenes turned into a brighter, whiter, tint. Maybe she was finally in front of the Moon God's door. She'll repent for her sins, then be reborn as a peaceful oak to guard the Emerald Forest, like all the warriors before her.

Miya opened her eyes slowly to greet the figure her kin had worshipped for centuries.

The orc was still in front of her.

But… He was shielding himself. He roared in pain and dropped her.

The ground Miya was sitting on was illuminated by a beam of moonlight. It was like a cylinder that protected her. She looked up.

The moon was full. The Moon God had called her. She slowly stood up. She hadn't expected it to be so easy, and now that she realized, her fatigue was gone. All that was left was mystique of the glowing white fruit in the sky.

Somehow, the moon had told her to look down. The tips of the bow she had dropped were shining. Her eyes drew to her quiver by relation. The arrowheads were glowing with the same blue energy.

As if by instinct, he gripped one by the feathers with the gap between her index and middle finger. The arrow felt perfectly weighted, as if she had been firing them her whole life. She aimed at the orc in front of her.

It was its turn to run.

As it clumsily thumped away, elves and other orcs alike parted for it. None of them wanted to be in the direct line of Miya's sight.

The arrow was raised at his back. Three arrows.

No, Miya was only holding one. But the same instinct that gave her the grace of a verteran archer told her she would hit three targets.

She fired.

She knew she'd hit three targets, but she hadn't expected it to split midair. Well, she didn't know what she was expecting.

Unlike how the orc's hide forced her arrow to bounce off initially, this one struck deep. It arched its back, like how Vileris-

It was a newfound power. She had strength. Miya will never allow more deaths of her kinsman again.

The other orcs were starting to swarm around her now, but she felt fearless. Her grip was strong, but the motion in which she drew her arrows were graceful and light. It didn't take any effort, and no matter how many times her arm raised, she felt no pain.

Miya ran backwards in the quick second that she was nocking, then when her body twisted, three new orcs fell.

Perhaps the display of domination lighted a new motivation, but the young orphans now dared to swarmed a singular beast in threes and fours, taking it down with sheer numbers like bees defending their hives.

In the warzone, the inexperienced younglings were now mixed with fully armored adult elves. They were much more effective in sticking swords, spears and arrows in orcs, though, in every battle field, her own were too slaughtered.

Miya had more time to aim now, and needed it since the empty field was ran over by two sides that were trying to dodge and slay at the same time. She peeled off orcs that were taking advantage of their superior strength to drive the elves into the soil.

She walked through the battlefield calming, making ones that dared to approach her regret and picking unsuspecting targets.

They were driving back the orcs.

Miya was waiting for the right time to fire her arrow at a clashing orc when a hand pulled her shoulder to a twist. Alarin's face was covered in dirt and blood.

"Ala-"

"Listen to me," She somehow still grasped her aura of dominace, "You need to tell everyone to retreat. Now."

Miya was simply baffled, "What? We're winning! We can kill them!"

"And they're killing us too!"

"It's war! Both sides lose something! It's just that one side loses more!"

"Miya!" Alarin grabbed both her shoulders. Her face was scrunched in anger.

Miya glared back at the fiery eyes, "This is _my_ battlefield. _I_ will decide."

.

_Except you're reading this on and they don't allow the copying of texts. _

_I realize it's more troublesome for you to vote, however if you wish to:_

_1\. Go to Wattpad_

_2\. Search up "bunnisangel", my username _

_3\. Link is in my bio_


	7. Two Peas In A Pod

**1080 DAYS, 14 HOURS, 21 MINUTES, 51 SECONDS**

The steel room had a blue hue. It was lit by the streaks of blue pipes. In them, flowed a glowing liquid of the same colour, that gave power to monitors that lined the radius of the circular enclosure. The same that ran through Alpha's bloodstream.

And Beta's. Alpha liked reminding himself that both him and his brother were built upon the same building blocks.

He was taller and leaner than Alpha. His preferred weapons were his built in guns. The speed boosters on his shins allowed him bursts of mobility in short durations. But despite his area of expertise in ranged weapons, he could perform a similar level of skill in close ranged combat.

They were equal in power.

But in this very room, Alpha was standing in front of the scientists, awaiting his judgement while Beta stood behind him without failure dragging his head to the ground.

Of course, he didn't. Beta never failed missions. Whatever he did seemed to be perfect, and that was the perfection Alpha had been seeking for all his life. In every moment of decision, whether it'd be scanning the area, or vocal ticks, or mannerisms, _"what would Beta do?"_ is the forefront of thoughts.

_So what would Beta do?_

"I thought I made this clear the last time round," The man in front of him finally spoke, "If you don't have any use, why do we keep you charged? Hm? These obtainium batteries aren't very easy to produce."

Despite having spent two years observing Beta's every move, he didn't have an answer. Then he realized why; there was nothing to base it off of.

The scientist let out an irritated breath.

"Beta. Go get the robot girl."

"Sir." Alpha started without a beat, but now that he had drawn attention to himself, he felt the dawning pressure on his chest, "Permission to follow him."

The scientist looked at him with cold, disgusted eyes, "After all this. You still want to ruin everything? You should conserve your energy while you still can. We wouldn't-"

"I think it's a good idea," Beta spoke up.

Alpha cursed at him silently. The man darted an eye at him, then sighed, "Do as you wish. If you fail your mission, you know who is to blame."

_Himself,_ Alpha thought. He was the one who wanted a tag along. It's his decision.

They both walked to the teleporting room, Alpha a few brooding strides in front.

"Hey, that's actually a really good idea! Argus wouldn't-"

"Shut up."

Even though more than half his face was covered by his robot parts, Beta clearly expressed hurt.

_Good_.

Every blow, no matter how petty it was, felt good on Alpha. The two of them were silent, as they stood waiting inside the circle. The circles on the rim lit up one by one with the ever present colour of bright blue.

He was going to kill the War Angel.

**1080, 14 HOURS, 2 MINUTES, 56 SECONDS**

"Please!" Rafaela cried. But he didn't listen, "Why? Why do you need to do this? This isn't the time! She will find you!"

Her cautions were a breeze against him. He took strides down the ladder to the inn bar. Argus pushed past the hordes of drunk men. She grew more desperate as he drew closer to the door. The hopelessness that she had been bottling up finally peaked, "At least tell me why!"

He stopped in his tracks. The inn silenced, aside from a few hushed whispers. She felt slimey stares that ran down every part of her body, but she wasn't about to face them.

Argus turned back to her. She met him with the most firm face she could manage, though in actuality it only looked like she was on the verge of breaking down into tears.

"Just... let me have this."

And that was the only explanation he gave before walking out the door.

She was left standing on a stage, in front of an audience that she didn't want. The embarrassment and hurt froze her muscles. The only thing she could do was watch his figure fade into the forest.

In her peripheral vision, she saw a man come up to her. He was many heads taller than her. He placed a large hand onto her shoulder. His fingers wrapped around her thin width effortlessly and sent shudders through her body.

She jerked him off in disgust, but the echo of his touch was still there. He snickered, and the room did the same.

"Woah there, missy! Just wanted to provide some warmth to a pretty lady. Need someone to fill up that cold hole your man left behind," He loomed over her with a predatory smile.

That was her cue to go. He catcalled after her, to the encouragement of his buddies, but didn't follow her up, thankfully. Rafaela bounded up to the stairs and wrapped her cloak around her even tighter.

In her room, Angela was sleeping―or resting, Rafaela wasn't sure robots needed sleep. She locked the door behind her and sat down on the bed. Her eyes defocused as she tried to calm herself down.

Rafaela had only brought up his well-being, but she was scared for herself and Angela too. Angela sounded terrified, and from what she had heard, there was no doubt the cyborg would come back to get her. What was she going to do against him? Heal herself out of existence?

All she could do was pray that Argus would hurry up with whatever unexplained errand he was finishing. But to who? She was the subject of the prayers. To the Lord of Light, perhaps? Or rather, a shadow of him in the form of a star.

"Pretty angel?" Angela crawled up to her, with the blanket still wrapped around her torso, "Is everything alright?"

Rafaela smiled, "Of course."

Angela had nestled herself against Rafaela, "It's alright! Pretty angel will fight those stupid cyborgs! They don't stand a chance!"

"Yes, of course."

"Promise me that you wouldn't be sad, okay?" The robot girl stuck out her small hand. Her first four fingers were clenched, and only her pinky was straightened, "Pinky swear?"

Rafaela twisted the inviting finger with her own, "Pinky swear."

Angela smiled at her, and she returned it.

The window crashed open in front of the bed. The both of them jumped up. It was a different cyborg, but Rafaela knew its intentions were the same.

"Run!" She pushed Angela in front of her, to the door. In her left hand, her staff formed.

By the time the cyborg had accessed the situation, she was ready to cast. Rafaela let out a blinding white light at him. His groans echoed with mechanical moans as he reached to his eyes.

The two of them ran down the stairs to the pub. She was greeted with surprised whoops from the men, but she didn't have the time to spare a feeling of disgust. As the two of them bursted out of the door, Rafaela heard the joy melt into scared cries.

They don't have the time to find Argus. They would never make it on foot, Rafaela decided. She lead Angela to the barn, still very aware of the screams inside the house.

The lady that owned the place was tending to the horses. She looked at the pair with question.

"Please! Let us borrow a house! I swear, I will pay you back with hordes of gold from the Moniyan Empire-"

"Alright, alright, " She unclasped the door of the stall, "But I need to saddle him-"

"No, it's alright. Thank you, so much!" Rafaela said as she lifted Angela up on the horse. The thumps were growing closer to the barn.

She pushed herself on the horse, and tapped its sides. But the figure blocking the way caused the horse to rear up and almost throw the two of them off. Before Rafaela could react, the pulse sent a hole through the horse's heart.

Its unstable leg movements morphed Rafaela's panic to hopelessness, before falling to its side, bringing them along with it. The angel screamed as her leg was buried by the weight of the horse. All she could do was watch hopelessly as the cyborg sent a knife through the sacred woman's neck. She gurgled in her own blood before being slipped off the blade and onto the floor.

He grabbed Angela straight out of Rafaela's grasp. The robot girl screamed and flailed, but the cyborg's grip was steel. Pinned to the ground by the horse, she managed to call upon the heavens for a strike. But the cyborg walked into a portal before the light could rain down on him. It swirled onto itself and disappeared. The spell hit the stone floor with a hiss. The area puffed out a sprouting of smoke.

Now that the target was gone, she turned her attention on the old woman. Her ankle twisted as the weight of the horse fell onto the tips of her body. She grimaced in pain but her adrenaline let her limp towards the body. The woman was thoroughly dead. No amount of her healing could bring a person back to life.

Finally, Rafaela's spirit was extinguished. She fell into sobs.

That was the fate of an angel too weak to protect the people she vowed to.


	8. Heads and Tails

**870 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 8 MINUTES, 3 SECONDS**

She was pretty. So pretty.

Her white hair was wrapped around in a loose bun, embedded with a chain of flowers clipped to her hair by a pink fan. In the place of her usual blue dress she was usually seen in, a loose, diaphanous orange dress had taken its place place. It was wrapped tightly to her thin waist by a green obi.

Her handmaidens fluttered around her, fiddling with the minute decorations on her hair. One of them caught sight of Hayabusa and playfully nudged her in his direction.

Truth to be told, he was expecting a flustered reaction, but she simply gave her usual genuine smile and seemingly took no heed of her maiden's hint. He watched them give a last expression of their worries and desire that she kept herself safe. As they passed him in a graceful row of four, the last maiden stopped beside him with a glare, "Show her a good time, Shadow Boy. If she returns with even a scratch, the former Shadow would be the least of your problems."

He nodded quickly, and awkwardly watched her give him an eye as she walked away.

"Well, someone is well liked," He commented with the the settling realisation that the threat might actually be serious.

"I've known them since birth," She said dismissively and put a hand on the opening of his yukata, "I've never seen you in any colour other than black and red."

"I like black and red," He said quietly to compensate for how fast his blood was rushing through his heart.

She proped her nose closer up to his face, "I've never considered that possibility!"

"I thought you were short, not stupid-"

She whacked his arm with her umbrella. Hayabusa let out an exaggerated "ow" but couldn't surpress his smile. She clutched his arm and led the way deeper into the festival. Both of them were well-known heirs to their respective powerful houses. Everyone knew them, and stared at them. They whispered at each other with an eye on them and a smile on their faces.

Let them whisper, he thought.

"When are you going to stop making fun of my height?" She demanded childishly.

"Let me think about it."

"Think quickly."

"When you marry me."

She was uncharacteristically quiet. He desperately wanted to look down to read her expression, but she was still holding his arm into her chest and was far too close for him to side-eye her. The silence wrapped tendrils of regret into his chest.

"I guess I don't have a choice then," Kagura said and looked up at him.

Trash that thought.

Her smile lacked the implication that she caught onto any hints. Hayabusa couldn't tell if she was playing hard to get, in denial or just plain stupid.

"What's wrong with you..." He muttered as he pulled away from their gaze, and garnered a laugh as a response.

**870 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 57 MINUTES, 49 SECONDS**

What the fuck is my line of sight?

Hayabusa. Is still here.

His sixteenth birthday was four days ago.

The only way Hanabi found out was because it was common knowledge, of course. The prophecy was that Hayabusa would leave the village on the day he reached manhood to kill the former Shadow and reclaim both their clan's glory.

She had always thought it was unfair. Yes, the traitor came from his clan, but the Scarlet Sect had received just as much devastation. His father never died fighting the betrayers, what would he know?

And he didn't, evidently. She kept her mouth shut, from the moment she could grasped the concept of what the former Shadow did, because everyone talked about how it was going to be him, how he wouldn't fail in his mission it's in the prophecy he would avenge her dead father BULLSHIT!

Hanabi was a fool because the people around her swayed to that mentality. Unquestioning. The very same people that were now laughing as he played the childish game of goldfish scooping. It was common knowledge. They know. They all know. They all know that he shouldn't be here, and he should have left four days ago but why?

Why?

That white haired bitch.

All Hanabi had been hearing for the last two months was how much of an adorable couple the two of them made. She was his ying to his yang or some fucking bullshit. Everyone made the most trivial things, from their opposing hair colour to the identical positions they served in their own clan. Everyone, from her classmates, to her maids, to-

"You should find a man that treats you like how Hayabusa treats Kagura," Her mother said.

Hanabi snapped her eyes at her, "He has failed the prophecy."

Her mother sighed, "Not everything in life is about duty. Love is important too."

Her jaws clutch.

Enough of this stupid festival. Enough of this stupid fucking village.

Hanabi turned away from the gathering crowd, back to the direction of her house. Every step, purposeful.

**870 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 29 MINUTES, 10 SECONDS**

The couple found themselves in a quiet path. The bright lights and chatter of the festival faded into the distance and merely became a background. They sat down on the docks a lake, gnawing on the chewy flour of the dangos.

"I feel bad for the goldfish," Kagura said quietly.

"Hm?"

"I wouldn't like being trapped in a plastic bag."

"Are you going to set it free?"

She looked at the fish and thought about it for a while, "Yeah."

She undid the knots and crouched over the water in preparation release it. But as she stared into the lake, all but blackness stared back at her. There was this force from the waters that challenged her imagination to dive in. She couldn't swim.

"Are there... things... in the water?" She asked timidly.

From behind, she heard him snort, "Like fish with spikes and jaws as big as your head?"

She nodded as the image settled in. Hayabusa got up form where he was and repositioned himself cross-legged to the right her crouching figure. He placed his right hand in front of her and his left behind so that he was leaning up to her face. His voice was quiet, etched in danger.

"I used to swim in this lake when I was a boy. Used to," He emphasised, "But one day, something slimly brushed up against leg. I didn't know what it was, but I felt a shock where it touched me and my leg went limp. I couldn't feel it. Or move it. My one leg burnt to keep me afloat. For a moment... I went underwater."

She watched him carefully, "Did you... see what it was?"

"Only a little. It had a long body. It was sliding through the water. Somehow... I knew it wanted to eat me."

"Then, how did you escape?"

"I swam hard, of course. Luckily, I wasn't too far from the shore. Thank god, I'm a strong swimmer," Hayabusa smiled and pulled away.

Her eyebrows knitted together. And here she was, preparing to send the poor fish into a monster's lair. All the ways the monster could devour it. Did it have a circle of sharp, tiny teeth that lined the opening of its mouth? Or a just a wide jaw with teeth too long that it protrudes out? That was all her basic understanding of the sea from what she read.

"I'm kidding!" Hayabusa suddenly said, after her period of terrified silence. He had a slight smile on his lips, and his leaned back body was propped up on his hands in a relaxed position.

"I can't swim," He gently added, following more silence. She still couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or he was only saying that because he knew how sacred he made her feel.

He touched her shoulder after a period of no response, "Really! There's nothing in there!"

She looked back at the blanket of darkness. Her eyes searched for a sigh of movement, against her will. He sighed and took the plastic bag from her hands. He bent over the water surface, which she whimpered at. Using his right fingers to pinch one end of the plastic bad, he gently poured the water and the fish into the lake.

"See, there's nothing there!"

That barely did a dent in convincing her. She crawled up beside him and hugged his body, placing her head on his shoulder. He returned the physical intimacy by putting his arm around her waist. It did comfort her.

"You know the goldfish is probably going to die," He said.

"What?" Her back straightened panicked. He killed the fish! And she let him!

"No!" Hayabusa rolled his head, "Not the sea monster thing. I was just teasing you! One of my friend's father runs a breeding farm. They're all placed in this big enclosure and a new group isn't added for months at a time. So they get pretty inbred. Their lifespan is short and they're mostly used as food for other fish because they lack any adaptations to survive in the wild."

Kagura was trying to process this information. She couldn't decided whether that was better or worse.

"But it's not like there's a definite chance!" He quickly added in an obvious attempt to make her feel better, "He might have escaped and live his life as a happy and free fish. It's not like you have the resources to provide from him either. They need special containers and can't live for a long time just in a bag of water."

She rested her head back into his shoulders. And they watched the brooding lake together.

**870 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 31 MINUTES, 25 SECONDS**

The two guards watched Hanabi approach them, unknowing the correct response.

"My lady? You shouldn't be down here."

"Get out of my way," She was already angry. She knew―and hoped―that she would finally be able to apply her training to real life.

"But Akaijoo-sama-"

Hanabi wasn't a girl with much patience. She flung the shuriken she had been fiddling with to the speaking guard's face. He didn't even have time to raise his sword and it lodged right into his eye. The other froze, watching his partner cry out in pain. He didn't even have time to react before Hanabi's kunai ran a red streak across his throat. Without missing a beat, she did the same with the other. Both bodies fell behind her.

"Tch. What a bunch of useless guards," She narrowed her eyes in disgust at the two corpses. She grabbed the key from the belt of one of them. It clicked open the set of wooden doors.

Her mother had long since abandoned this room;her father's dojo. It was like as she remembered when she was a child. She had the faintest memories of peeking into the room, watching her father train grown men.

Hanabi entered. It was a perfect square. Everything was empty and wooden, aside from the glass case right at the end of the room. She lifted the casing carefully.

In it, sat the weapon she was going to fulfil Hayabusa's prophecy with.

**870 DAYS, 3 HOURS, 2 MINUTES, 1 SECONDS**

"Thanks for tonight," Kagura smiled on her doorstep. Her gaze flickered like she wanted to say something, and for a moment Hayabusa's heart bursted with the hope. But she only managed with, "I'll see you later."

As disappointed as he may be, he returned her smile, "I hope so."

She shut the door behind her.

The Omnyouji residence was large. The garden that surrounded their house was much larger than his own. It gave him much time to ponder about his decisions.

"Kage Hayabusa."

He twisted to the direction of his name. The head of the Omnyouji was waiting at the entrance. Hayabusa's mind seeped into panic as it explored all the ways he was going to be told to keep his distance. But at the front, he composed himself and bowed as a greeting.

Hayabusa swore, the look he was given was condescending, "Wasn't your sixteenth birthday four days ago? Why are you not gone?"

"Uh, I wanted to stay for the Summer Festival, sir," He said, only realising how self-centered that sounded and quickly scrambled to cover up after himself, "For Kagura! I did not believe four days would be detrimental."

"And when are you leaving?"

He couldn't tell from the head's expression whether it was the right move or not, but Hayabusa did prefer leaving the topic.

"Tonight, sir."

"Does she know?"

"No... I thought it would be for her best."

"Do you not think she would be frustrated if you left without warning?"

"I have considered-"

"And you still go through with it?"

His mother had recited the stories of how hard to please his paternal side's grandmother was as warning. He didn't have a significant other then, so he obviously was just annoyed by it. But now that he is in that situation himself, he wished he could've asked more.

Kagura's father took his reflective silence as an answer, "I am telling you your desire to protect her is wrong. But expecting her to go along with your decision so obediently is a flawed line of thinking."

"Of course not, sir."

The man in front of him finally released his strict expression, "I can see she is rather fond of you."

Hearing that, Hayabusa perked up. He never had a confirmation of requited feelings before.

"For quite some time, I had thought that uniting two of the most powerful clans in the Cadia Riverlands was a good idea. Though she does not mind, I do not wish to put her through such a stressful ceremony. But of course that wouldn't be a problem now and I would like to keep it that way."

"I will succeed in my mission. That is my promise to you," He was more than beaming at this point.

The man softened into a smile, "Bring back two heads."


	9. Wooden Horse

_6┋Birth Right - Miya _

**_Fight - 5(83%)_**

_Run - 1(17%)_

**990 DAYS, 7 HOURS, 3 MINUTES, 11 SECONDS**

"Miya!" Alarin grabbed both her shoulders. Her face was scrunched in anger.

Miya glared back at the fiery eyes, "This is _my_ battlefield. _I_ will decide."

Her firmness forced Alarin to break eye contact. Not submitting herself to Miya, but not arguing either.

In the middle of a battlefield ravelled in the clanking of metal and cries of fear and anger, the moon's blessed called out to her comrades loud and clear, "In the name of the moon, we shall drive them back!"

Her kinsman roared in response. Miya took a single side glance at Alarin's disapproving glare, and joined them.

The arrows nocked from her bow pierced through any and all skin and armour. She was able to move her hands with alarming agility. Any foe that came into her line of sight was bestowed the fate of dying immediately through a rapture in a vital organ, or the more unfortunate route of slowly bleeding to death.

With her fighting alongside, the moon elves' managed to slay all the moving orcs, until only one was left running back. Unlike the broad and barbaric build of most of the army, it was lean and fast.

Elves shouted and aimed their bows after it, but it was well out of their arrow's range.

_Let it be_, Miya thought to herself smugly, _the Blood Demon Queen will know of our military might._

"We have won against the orcs, once again!" She pumped her fist in the air. The ones that were able to cheered and started chanting her name. She faced a sea of elves that she had officially gained the respect of as a leader.

All, but one. Clutching her arm with the other hand. Unsmiling.

**983 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 37 MINUTES, 17 SECONDS**

We were sitting on the back of a black mare. Miya's hair curled in the wind like a calm sea. The horse was going fast enough so that the wind could cool my cheeks, but rhythmic enough that I could follow the gait. Streaks of green meadow that endowed a rainbow of flowers breezed by us.

Miya turned around to smile at me. I smiled back.

A gryfalcon was diving for its prey. My chest. It pierced into the back of my ribcage and penetrated to the front. The blue sky dripped in crimson. Miya's smile turned into horror. She stared unblinking at my chest. I follow her line of sight, back to my chest, to the black arrow head spiking out, dripping in the same colour as the sky.

As I tried to focus on the pain in an attempt to relieve it, I lost my balance, slowing sliding off the horse's back. Miya grabbed for me. But she was slow. The world was moving at a normal speed, all except for her.

I fell back first onto the ground. Though my eyes were looking at Miya, I couldn't process my sight on top of the pain of the arrow burrowing deeper into me with the force of the fall. It hurt. It was dull, and sharp at the same time. I couldn't hold on, I couldn't-

Miya jerked herself awake. She grabbed her chest in panic. There was nothing there. Nothing but the new clothes she was given in the honour of her new status as the moon elven leader. Just like the room she was allowed to sleep in. The dome spread high above her head. And the bed threefold of her body length.

It was already dawn. Robins chirped, though it was much more faint as compared to the watchtowers. She pressed the bridge of her nose and got up.

After the victory, Moon elves greeted her as she walked passed. Her past as a watchtower orphan whisked into irrelevancy. With the throne empty, she was elected a steward until the lost king could be found again.

The kingdom searched for a decade, after the Second Plane War, but hope dwindles if not renewed. But now that Miya was leading the army, she fuelled their efforts. Though as unwilling to admit, she had no idea where to begin. No one that fought in the Second Plane War seemed to remember. With that thought, she mind branched off to her parents. Maybe there's a slight possibility that they may have seen something.

She shook those thoughts away. There wasn't time to think of something so meaningless. She was going to restore the moon elven bloodline and she needed to find a lead. Like the past few days, she was cooped up in the grand library, with many other maesters. Her books and stories told her that pages hold all secrets and she hoped that it was true.

Miya was eating through a stack of books when there was trotting footsteps followed by mentions of her name. She stood up from her place. A guard frantically trotted to her, "A Leonin has arrived saying she knows where the king lies!"

**983 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 25 MINUTES, 6 SECONDS**

Miya eyed the peculiar creature. No, it wasn't that odd. The only thing strange was its cat ears and a bushy tail. The rest of its body looked like a young girl's. Its pink hair was tied up in playful pigtails. The large boomerang rested on the chair it was sitting on.

"Leave us be," She ordered and the guards left her room.

"So you're the new pseudo leader of the moon elves, huh?" The Leonin said as she munched on the sweets offered. Her voice matched her child-like appearance.

"Temporary, yes."

She diverted her gaze to the window, still deciding what the best course of action would be. To her surprise, a black bird was sitting on the windowsill. The Leonin followed her gaze, "Is that pretty bird a crow?"

"Raven. Crows' beaks are thinner and straighter. Wouldn't you know be able to identify them? Since you've spent your whole life in the forest."

"Neither ravens or crows come into the woodlands. It's my first time seeing it in real life actually," It said and stuffed its mouth, "Miya, was it?"

"Yes."

"If I led you to where your king was, will you help me?"

"That depends on what your request is."

The Leonin rolled her eyes onto the table in hesitation before meeting hers again, "I'm sure you've heard of what happened to the Feline Race?"

"They are our most faithful allies, and we regret that we couldn't save them. But that is not what you are, Leonin. What does the extinction of the Feline have anything to do-"

"They aren't extinct!" It suddenly said, which left her puzzled.

"I apologize. I was only told that the Abyssal Lord took their whole village in a night. By the time the guards reached, all was gone. We couldn't find anyone."

"There's still one left."

It shocked her that the Feline wouldn't immediately come to the moon elves if that was the case. That would clear up all the assumptions of what might have come down that night.

She continued solemnly, "He left for the Moniyan Empire."

"Why would he-"

"I don't know!"

Silence trialed its sudden aggression. Miya seemed to have hit a nerve from how the Leonin looked. It was angry, but also on the brink of tears.

A knock on the door broke the standstill, "Is everything okay, General?"

"Yes!" She said, and continued more sympathetically, "And how he relate to your request?"

"The Abyss took everything that was his. It took his family and soul. I haven't seen him in years but I can only imagine how much the want for revenge would eat him up," Its gaze held hers firmly, "I want you to rage war on the Abyss."

Miya didn't know what to say. She knew that the Abyss was too big of a threat to ignore, but a war against them... It would be like thirty years ago, in the Second Plane War. Where her parents died. Both wars between the orcs and the moon elves almost cut the population in half, who knew what another war would lead to?

"The Blood Demon Queen has started to rise from her grave."

She snapped her eyes at the Leonin, "That's impossible! The angels sealed her deep into the core of the land!"

"I don't know how either, but I can feel it! Dark magic is seeping back into the Azyra Woodlands! If we don't attack as soon as possible, the orcs would have their queen back, then they'll be unstoppable!"

"Thirty years ago, the Second Plane War-"

"I know exactly what the war did"

"How would you know anything? You didn't even live-"

"A Leonin's age is as long as an elf, and I've lived for fifty years. That's twenty more than you!"

"H... How would you know how old I am? I could be fifty too-"

"I knew your parents."

Finally, Miya didn't have anymore words. Her parents...

It continued, "Your mother taught me how to control my magic. I fought in the Second Plane War with them, but I... I'm sorry. Her dying wish was that I get you to safety. And if she saw how strong you were now, I'm sure she'd be proud."

Miya chewed those words in silence. For the thirty years that were her adolescence, she carved any sort of connection to her birth parents. They left no trace behind, which was the case for many foot soldiers.

_How does a moon elf know magic? How did she and the Leonin meet? How did the two of them fall in love?_

But right now, everything was crashing together and she wished she had that years to think about what she's been told. She can't have the best of both worlds it seems.

"My mother... she trusted me to you."

"Yeah..."

"Then, I trust you too. In exchange for leading me to my king, I will assist you in battle against the Abyss."


	10. The Right Road

**990 DAYS, 7 HOURS, 3 MINUTES, 11 SECONDS**

"Miya!" Alarin grabbed both her shoulders. Her face was scrunched in anger.

Miya glared back at the fiery eyes, "This is _my_ battlefield. _I_ will decide."

Her firmness forced Alarin to break eye contact. Not submitting herself to Miya, but not arguing either.

In the middle of a battlefield ravelled in the clanking of metal and cries of fear and anger, the moon's blessed called out to her comrades loud and clear, "In the name of the moon, we shall drive them back!"

Her kinsman roared in response. Miya took a single side glance at Alarin's disapproving glare, and joined them.

The arrows nocked from her bow pierced through any and all skin and armour. She was able to move her hands with alarming agility. Any foe that came into her line of sight was bestowed the fate of dying immediately through a rapture in a vital organ, or the more unfortunate route of slowly bleeding to death.

With her fighting alongside, the moon elves' managed to slay all the moving orcs, until only one was left running back. Unlike the broad and barbaric build of most of the army, it was lean and fast.

Elves shouted and aimed their bows after it, but it was well out of their arrow's range.

_Let it be_, Miya thought to herself smugly, _the Blood Demon Queen will know of our military might._

"We have won against the orcs, once again!" She pumped her fist in the air. The ones that were able to cheered and started chanting her name. She faced a sea of elves that she had officially gained the respect of as a leader.

All, but one. Clutching her arm with the other hand. Unsmiling.

**983 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 37 MINUTES, 17 SECONDS**

We were sitting on the back of a black mare. Miya's hair curled in the wind like a calm sea. The horse was going fast enough so that the wind could cool my cheeks, but rhythmic enough that I could follow the gait. Streaks of green meadow that endowed a rainbow of flowers breezed by us.

Miya turned around to smile at me. I smiled back.

A gryfalcon was diving for its prey. My chest. It pierced into the back of my ribcage and penetrated to the front. The blue sky dripped in crimson. Miya's smile turned into horror. She stared unblinking at my chest. I follow her line of sight, back to my chest, to the black arrow head spiking out, dripping in the same colour as the sky.

As I tried to focus on the pain in an attempt to relieve it, I lost my balance, slowing sliding off the horse's back. Miya grabbed for me. But she was slow. The world was moving at a normal speed, all except for her.

I fell back first onto the ground. Though my eyes were looking at Miya, I couldn't process my sight on top of the pain of the arrow burrowing deeper into me with the force of the fall. It hurt. It was dull, and sharp at the same time. I couldn't hold on, I couldn't-

Miya jerked herself awake. She grabbed her chest in panic. There was nothing there. Nothing but the new clothes she was given in the honour of her new status as the moon elven leader. Just like the room she was allowed to sleep in. The dome spread high above her head. And the bed threefold of her body length.

It was already dawn. Robins chirped, though it was much more faint as compared to the watchtowers. She pressed the bridge of her nose and got up.

After the victory, Moon elves greeted her as she walked passed. Her past as a watchtower orphan whisked into irrelevancy. With the throne empty, she was elected a steward until the lost king could be found again.

The kingdom searched for a decade, after the Second Plane War, but hope dwindles if not renewed. But now that Miya was leading the army, she fuelled their efforts. Though as unwilling to admit, she had no idea where to begin. No one that fought in the Second Plane War seemed to remember. With that thought, she mind branched off to her parents. Maybe there's a slight possibility that they may have seen something.

She shook those thoughts away. There wasn't time to think of something so meaningless. She was going to restore the moon elven bloodline and she needed to find a lead. Like the past few days, she was cooped up in the grand library, with many other maesters. Her books and stories told her that pages hold all secrets and she hoped that it was true.

Miya was eating through a stack of books when there was trotting footsteps followed by mentions of her name. She stood up from her place. A guard frantically trotted to her, "A Leonin has arrived saying she knows where the king lies!"

**983 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 25 MINUTES, 6 SECONDS**

Miya eyed the peculiar creature. No, it wasn't that odd. The only thing strange was its cat ears and a bushy tail. The rest of its body looked like a young girl's. Its pink hair was tied up in playful pigtails. The large boomerang rested on the chair it was sitting on.

"Leave us be," She ordered and the guards left her room.

"So you're the new pseudo leader of the moon elves, huh?" The Leonin said as she munched on the sweets offered. Her voice matched her child-like appearance.

"Temporary, yes."

She diverted her gaze to the window, still deciding what the best course of action would be. To her surprise, a black bird was sitting on the windowsill. The Leonin followed her gaze, "Is that pretty bird a crow?"

"Raven. Crows' beaks are thinner and straighter. Wouldn't you know be able to identify them? Since you've spent your whole life in the forest."

"Neither ravens or crows come into the woodlands. It's my first time seeing it in real life actually," It said and stuffed its mouth, "Miya, was it?"

"Yes."

"If I led you to where your king was, will you help me?"

"That depends on what your request is."

The Leonin rolled her eyes onto the table in hesitation before meeting hers again, "I'm sure you've heard of what happened to the Feline Race?"

"They are our most faithful allies, and we regret that we couldn't save them. But that is not what you are, Leonin. What does the extinction of the Feline have anything to do-"

"They aren't extinct!" It suddenly said, which left her puzzled.

"I apologize. I was only told that the Abyssal Lord took their whole village in a night. By the time the guards reached, all was gone. We couldn't find anyone."

"There's still one left."

It shocked her that the Feline wouldn't immediately come to the moon elves if that was the case. That would clear up all the assumptions of what might have come down that night.

She continued solemnly, "He left for the Moniyan Empire."

"Why would he-"

"I don't know!"

Silence trialed its sudden aggression. Miya seemed to have hit a nerve from how the Leonin looked. It was angry, but also on the brink of tears.

A knock on the door broke the standstill, "Is everything okay, General?"

"Yes!" She said, and continued more sympathetically, "And how he relate to your request?"

"The Abyss took everything that was his. It took his family and soul. I haven't seen him in years but I can only imagine how much the want for revenge would eat him up," Its gaze held hers firmly, "I want you to rage war on the Abyss."

Miya didn't know what to say. She knew that the Abyss was too big of a threat to ignore, but a war against them... It would be like thirty years ago, in the Second Plane War. Where her parents died. Both wars between the orcs and the moon elves almost cut the population in half, who knew what another war would lead to?

"The Blood Demon Queen has started to rise from her grave."

She snapped her eyes at the Leonin, "That's impossible! The angels sealed her deep into the core of the land!"

"I don't know how either, but I can feel it! Dark magic is seeping back into the Azyra Woodlands! If we don't attack as soon as possible, the orcs would have their queen back, then they'll be unstoppable!"

"Thirty years ago, the Second Plane War-"

"I know exactly what the war did"

"How would you know anything? You didn't even live-"

"A Leonin's age is as long as an elf, and I've lived for fifty years. That's twenty more than you!"

"H... How would you know how old I am? I could be fifty too-"

"I knew your parents."

Finally, Miya didn't have anymore words. Her parents...

It continued, "Your mother taught me how to control my magic. I fought in the Second Plane War with them, but I... I'm sorry. Her dying wish was that I get you to safety. And if she saw how strong you were now, I'm sure she'd be proud."

Miya chewed those words in silence. For the thirty years that were her adolescence, she carved any sort of connection to her birth parents. They left no trace behind, which was the case for many foot soldiers.

_How does a moon elf know magic? How did she and the Leonin meet? How did the two of them fall in love?_

But right now, everything was crashing together and she wished she had that years to think about what she's been told. She can't have the best of both worlds it seems.

"My mother... she trusted me to you."

"Yeah..."

"Then, I trust you too. In exchange for leading me to my king, I will assist you in battle against the Abyss."


End file.
